GT...There is no question that guns are used as tools to accomplish an evil intent of the owner of the weapon. Had the German guard not had a weapon that was easy to use at hand, would he have killed a random prisoner? We do not know; but, it is not much of a stretch of the imagination to think that the ease at which one can kill using a gun makes that less likely.

So, we have decided in this country that these risks that guns may contribute to violence are out-weighed by the right to protect ourselves or use the weapon recreationally.

Violent behaviour (oops...too many Alistair MacLean Novels) is multi-faceted. We still have no real idea why some feel remorse at the killing a sparrow and others are able to murder a classroom of children.

I do believe, strongly, that we need to have firearm training and licensing in this country to provide more of a sense of responsibility with owning a firearm. Sadly, I am afraid many gun owners did not learn to respect the power that a gun has, as a youth, as I. I also believe we need to get a handle on understanding the causes of, and solutions to, violence.

G.T., I too had a similar experience when I was about 15. I went hunting with a friend and his father out to the desert. Other than a situation or two out hunting with my father went I was a child (I wasn't permitted to fire a gun), I had no real experience carrying or firing a weapon. Anyway, while stalking about in the desert with my friend, a bird suddenly flew out of the trees and I instinctively reacted and shot it out of the sky. As it turned out, it was an owl. Upon going over to investigate, it was mortally wounded, but still not dead. Suddenly, I felt so bad about what I had done, and I put it out of its misery. I had taken the life of this noble bird. The idea of killing for sport just didn't rest well with me. When I think about using guns, the memory still haunts me to this day.

Chandler, you'd be put in prison for 5-10 years nowadays. Probably was a spotted owl.

However, today, hunters are untilized to harvest animals that have over bred. For instance, deer kill more humans than any other animal. In Texas they breed like Kangaroos. Hunters do a great service to the animals who would die of starvation otherwise. They do not issue a hunting tag for a species that is in equalibrium.

Steven. ... Those of us brought up in rural communities are aware of the need for culls at times, to curtail the spreading of diseases among the farming stock. (During Foot and Mouth outbreaks even hikers would be 12 bored up their backsides by irate farmers, if permitted!) In our densely populated and intensively farmed country, it is necessary.

The point I make though, is that human behaviour can too easily follow the 'ramping up' effect, as boundaries get blurred and otherwise ordinary people are caught up in fanaticism, and willingly take part in attrocities. Such happened in Germany under the Nazi regime.

Guns are made to kill. Nobody who owns one can be unaware of that fact. Being aware of that, and being human, it is inevitable that at some point, they will wish to put it to the test. Responsible people will resist the urge. The irresponsible, the cruel, the sadistic, and the easily led (and there are too many of all those types in society) may not resist.

Therefore, mass arming of the entire population, as appears to now be taking place according to some posters, can only end in tears!

Chandler, you'd be put in prison for 5-10 years nowadays. Probably was a spotted owl.

Better to shoot an owl than to shoot a neighbor's dog for barking too much, as he has very publicly advocated. Wild creatures depend to some degree on mankind, but when we domesticated animals we sought and accepted total responsibility for their individual and collective welfare. I can think of MANY ways to "persuade" a dog' owner to shut his dog up, none of which threaten the dog.

I think the paranoia, and pessimism about the future of the United States, are the root causes behind buying guns. You have to be nuts to think that private militias are going to overthrow the "tyrannical" Federal government. But I think that a lot of these paranoids are convinced that society is about to break down and they will need a gun to protect themselves. Much of what Iso says is in this vein. The rest is revenge fantasy.

Responsible gun owners and hunters have been a net benefit to the preservation of wildlife habitat. Controlled hunting that complies with game laws has generally supported a sustainable population of game, and I know of very few who want to prevent that.

Mac, if you viewed a few clips from CPAC , you would think the entire country is afraid of losing their second amendment rights. The crazies still RULE the roost, and the Chris Christies of the world are not welcome. Lets see if Justice Roberts agrees with Senator Portman on prop 8, and further moves the crazies into a corner.

I read in the NYT that about 37% of American homes have guns and those households own an average of 7guns
This arsenal jointly stored by these people is where criminals go to get guns.
Remember the big outcry over a map showing the location of homes who are protected by this arsenal?
Why weren't the homeowners glad to make public the homes that no criminal would dare to rob because the owners were heavily armed?
Most smart gun owners know they are in greater danger of being robbed as a result of gun ownership.
The whole gun thing in America is a crime promotion scheme that feeds on itself and makes the owners of the NRA rich and kills more of us than all the wars combined.

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